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Torkham crossing reopens after nine-day closure

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The main Afghanistan-Pakistan land crossing reopened on Friday after being closed for nine days, Nangarhar’s department of information and culture said.

“The Torkham crossing was opened for passengers and commercial goods at 8:00 am today ,” the office said on X formerly known as Twitter.

The Torkham crossing had been closed since last week after forces from both sides exchanged fire, stranding thousands of travellers and hundreds of trucks laden with goods.

"A series of talks between Pakistani and Afghan officials resolved the issue and the border was opened," a security official in Torkham told Reuters on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

He said thousands of loaded vehicles had been stuck on both sides of the border due at crossing point in northwestern Pakistan.

Pakistan said the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) had tried to encroach on its territory with the construction of an "unlawful structure" and accused Afghan forces of "indiscriminate firing".

The IEA foreign ministry said Pakistan security forces had fired on its troops as they fixed an old security outpost near the border. They criticised the border closing at a key entry point for landlocked Afghanistan.

Relations between the two neighbours has been tense at times, particularly over border disputes and Pakistan's charges that militants can launch attacks into its territory from bases in Afghanistan. Afghan authorities deny this.

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Saudi Arabia reopens embassy in Afghanistan

In November 2021, Saudi Arabia said it was resuming consular services in Afghanistan. It also provides humanitarian aid in the country through its KSRelief organisation.

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Saudi Arabia has resumed its diplomatic operations in Kabul, reopening its embassy on Sunday.

"Based on the desire of the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to provide all services to the brotherly Afghan people, it has been decided to resume the activities of the mission of the Kingdom in Kabul starting on December 22," the embassy posted on social media site X.

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan's acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi recently met with Saudi representatives, expressing a desire to expand bilateral relations. Saudi officials reaffirmed their commitment to providing humanitarian aid and strengthening collaboration in various fields.

In November 2021, Saudi Arabia said it was resuming consular services in Afghanistan. It also provides humanitarian aid in the country through its KSRelief organisation.

Saudi Arabia was one of only three countries, the others being Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates, that recognised the first IEA government which came to power in 1996 and was overthrown by the United States invasion of 2001.

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Human traffickers should be sentenced to 1 to 3 years in prison: IEA leader

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The Leader of the Islamic Emirate has issued a decree instructing the Ministry of Interior Affairs to prevent human trafficking and to arrest and refer culprits to military courts.

The decree containing six articles says that that military courts should sentence human traffickers to one year in prison for the first time, two years if repeated for the second time and three years if repeated for the third time.

The ministries of Hajj, information, telecommunications, borders, propagation of virtue, as well as religious scholars are asked to inform the public about the dangers and adverse consequences of travelling through smuggling routes.

The decree comes as the rate of migration has increased following the political change in Afghanistan in 2021.

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Eight Afghan migrants die as boat capsizes off Greek island

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Eight Afghan migrants died after a speedboat carrying migrants capsized off Greece's eastern island of Rhodes on Friday, the Associated Press reported.

Greek authorities said that the capsizing was the result of the boat’s maneuvering to evade a patrol vessel.

A total of 18 migrants — 12 men, three women and three minors — all Afghan nationals, were rescued, Greece's coast guard said Saturday. The dead were also from Afghanistan, it said.

Some migrants remained hospitalized, with one in critical condition, authorities said.

Two Turkish citizens, ages 23 and 19, were arrested as the suspected traffickers. The boat sank after capsizing, the coast guard said.

The sinking off Rhodes was the second deadly incident involving migrants in the past week.

Seven migrants were killed and dozens were believed missing after a boat partially sank south of the island of Crete over the weekend — one of four rescue operations during which more than 200 migrants were rescued.

 

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